* The day after the World Series ended, Vegas issued the odds for the 2018 Baseball season.
The Dodgers favorites to win the World Series, with odds of 5-1. The Indians are next, at 6-1, tied with the world champion Astros. Clearly, Vegas doesn't think Houston will repeat. I happen to agree.
Even though the Astros have a young, talented club, and should contend for a long time, winning consecutive championships is so tough to do in any sport. As Cleveland couldn't make it back to the World Series, I see Houston falling short in 2018.
The Dodgers have young stars in Seeger and Bellinger, a farm system stocked with even more prospects, and tons of money to spend in free agency and international spending.LA isn't going anywhere soon, and the rest of NL West will have to deal with them for years to come.
Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if the Cubs returned to the top. They need to retool, as Lackey, Arrieta and others in the pitching staff are either getting old or are free agents. But Chicago has the money and young prospects to trade for reinforcements, plus stars Rizzo and Bryant are young and only reaching their prime.
The Cubbies are 10-1 to win the World Series, a good bet.
The Nationals are 7-1, an interesting bet. Washington has a new manager, and this may be their last chance to go deeper into the playoffs, with Bryce Harper on the verge of free agency after next season.
The Yankees are 8-1, ahead of rival Boston, who are 10-1.
After that, there's a significant drop-off, with the Mets slated at 20-1, along with the Cardinals and Dianondbacks.
The Phillies are 80-1. A .500 season would go a long way for the young Phils. Diving into free agency after next season will be the goal, and as their young prospects gain footing in Philadelphia, hopefully 80-1 odds will be a thing of the past soon.
The longest odds belong to the Detroit Tigers, who have 300-1 odds to win the World Series next year.
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Injuries highlight the news today.
The Eagles tight end Zach Ertz has a hamstring issue. He hasn't been ruled out of Sunday's game against Denver. The Broncos' defense has had trouble all year covering tight ends, so a healthy Ertz could have a big day at the Linc Sunday afternoon.
Texans' quarterback DeShaun Watson tore the ACL in his knee yesterday in practice, ending his season. Too bad. He was having an amazing rookie year, throwing four touchdowns just last Sunday in Seattle.
Good news for Tennessee, who should have clear sailing to the AFC South crown. Jacksonville is still to up and down, and Indianapolis is no threat, especially without Andrew Luck.
One of the Game 7 heroes for the Houston Astros was pitcher Charlie Morton, who closed out the game and held the Dodgers scoreless thru four innings. Morton has been on the disabled list nine times during his career. Many fans forget that Morton was a Phllie for a brief time. he went 1-1 in early 2016 for the Phils before tearing his hamstring and lost for the season. The Phils didn't resign him, and Morton hooked up with Houston, and the rest is history.
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The Eagles will wear all-black against the Broncos on Sunday, which is cool- but weren't they supposed to wear Kelly Green sometime this season as well?
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